


The Tiger's Revenge

by kylarileiza



Category: The Jungle Book - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 02:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14760509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylarileiza/pseuds/kylarileiza





	The Tiger's Revenge

**Originally posted to FFN some years ago.  Trying to collect stories under one account. I did not split the chapters up because they were awfully short, anyway, so I just left them as they were downloaded from my FFN account.**

 

Title:  **The Tiger's Revenge**

Category: Cartoons » Disney

Author: Happy Stalker Ball  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: K  
Genre: General/Friendship  
Published: 04-17-03, Updated: 09-04-05  
Chapters: 10, Words: 16,508

* * *

**Chapter 1: Tiger's Entrance**

* * *

I saw the second Jungle Book movie at theaters with my younger sisters and when I was there, I thought a nice little fanfic could maybe spice things up a bit. So, let me know, okay? Thanks!  **Slightly edited 07/13/2009**

**OoOoO**

Dark eyes watched from a safe distance as a couple wished their two children goodnight. A slow, small smile crept across the spy's mouth as he licked his lips, crouching further down in the thick grass. The spy's eyes stayed glued to the hut with the couple and the two kids until the candles were blown out and darkness engulfed the little hut. The creature in the grass slowly rose from his hiding place unnoticed by the rest to the world with the exception of the few fireflies that buzzed about nearby.

_Yes, sleep well, child, sleep well, because you'll need to be all rested up for tomorrow._  A snarl found itself on the animal's face.

_Because tomorrow we're gonna play a little game..._ The animal's tail swung back and forth a couple of times causing some fireflies to scatter away in panic at the sudden movement of the orange animal with black stripes. Shere Khan's eyes wandered around, as he thought through his plan of sweet revenge one more time. He stalked off into the night satisfied that that his plan would work very nicely.

_Very nicely, indeed._ The tiger's mouth curled upwards as he continued off into the dark night.

**OoOoO**

"G'morning," Ranjan, a small, dark boy, shook Mowgli's arm a couple times, then, frustrated when the older boy didn't stir, jumped on the hammock and pounded on the older boy's stomach, "I said 'G'morning'- that means wake up!" Ranjan hollered. Mowgli groaned and winced in pain as the toddler continued to pound on his bare stomach.

"Okay, okay, Ranjan, I'm up," Mowgli cried, gently pushing Ranjan off him and hopping out of bed. Ranjan smiled, happy that he had been successful in waking Mowgli. Mowgli stretched and picked Ranjan up off the hammock. "Okay," Mowgli spoke to Ranjan like an older brother, "let's go out and have some fun!" Ranjan giggled happily and nodded his head.

Soon both boys were out in the village surrounded by bustling villagers trying to complete their daily chores. Ranjan trailed Mowgli through the village and nearly bumped into the boy when he came to a sudden halt. Ranjan looked around, confused as to why they stopped, and then saw the reason and a broad grin broke out across his face.

"Shanti!" Ranjan called, waving his small, chubby hands at the older girl. She stopped with a bucket of water balanced on her head and acknowledged both boys with a small smile.

"Hey," She greeted them as she continued to expertly carry the jar of water atop her head. Mowgli nodded in response and fell in step beside her with Ranjan still trailing him.

"So, are you having fun with that bucket of water?" Mowgli asked casually, glancing around and avoiding eye contact with Shanti. She gave him a funny look before answering slowly and uncertainly.

"Yeah, I guess..." She started when Mowgli's hand suddenly made contact with her bucket of water and it came crashing to the ground, soaking her on the way down. She stood still for a moment in shock, then crossed her arms and glared at the boy feeling anger build up in her. Mowgli and Ranjan both unsuccessfully tried to hide their smiles.

"You little.." Shanti let her voice trail off and just growled and hissed instead of assaulting her water assassin with an array of insults. She made a little "hmmph" sound before marching off to get more water. The boys, naturally, followed her to the river by the edge of the jungle. Shanti made it well known that they weren't too welcome to follow her around, but neither boy paid much attention to her protests. It was silent as she scooped more water out of the river hoping that she might actually get this water back to her home.

Mowgli soon took his eyes off Shanti's jar and allowed his eyes to scan the jungle that was just across the river from them.

_Like I could just reach out and touch it._ He felt an odd feeling of wistfulness do a tiny flip in his stomach as he continued to scan the jungle remembering when he lived there. He wondered what his old jungle friends were doing and felt a since of longing within him. Ranjan grabbed his hand and he quickly pushed the feeling away.

"Mowgli?" Ranjan asked looking up at Mowgli. He looked down at the toddler and waited for the younger boy to continue. "Shanti's done. See?" He pointed to Shanti who had already started to go back towards the village away from the little trail that led to the river. "Aren't we going to follow her and knock the jar off her head again?" The toddler continued to stare at Mowgli, confused as to why the older boy had not yet moved. Mowgli glanced at the jungle again, then smiled at Ranjan.

"Yeah, let's go get Shanti even more wet!" He exclaimed still trying to ignore that longing feeling that had planted itself within him. The two started to walk off when a rustling from the grass caught their attention. Both boys stopped and looked towards the tall grass curiously. The grass shook some more as the boys slowly approached the thicket of grass.

"Do you think it's a snake?" Ranjan whispered waddling up to the grass.

"I don't know," Mowgli muttered, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. The long thick blades of grass shook violently once more before becoming very still. Mowgli raised an eyebrow at the odd occurrence and stopped just feet away from the grass. Ranjan was right beside Mowgli and stopped as well. He looked up at the older boy curiously.

A quiet, deadpan laughter took place of the still silence that had surrounded the boys.

_That laughter,_ Mowgli thought horrified.  _I've heard that before!_ Small shivers ran down his spine as he remembered the last time he had heard that laughter. Laughter that belonged to that terrible, carnivorous tiger. The name unwillingly escaped his lips in a whisper.

"Shere Khan." Mowgli watched, shock as the tiger made his presence known by stepping out of the thicket of grass. Ranjan stared wide eyed not sure what to do. He glanced up at Mowgli but the older boy was too shocked to move. The tiger smirked at Mowgli and slowly began to circle the boys.

"So, I see you remember my name mancub," Shere Khan stated in a rather amused voice. "And I seem to recall that you were involved in a little incident that cost me my dignity," he hissed, "Well, mancub, no one does that and lives to regret it." Shere Khan barred his teeth in an evil grin, and showed his claws to the stunned boys, "They don't live at all."

**Chapter 2: Bait**

"Stay back," Mowgli took a step backwards from the snarling tiger, and Ranjan followed suit. Shere Khan laughed a little, then spoke in a low tone.

"'Stay back?'" Shere Khan gave off an eerie laugh again breaking the morning silence that surrounded them. Mowgli frowned, and took another cautious step backwards. Ranjan stood still, staring wide eyed at the talking tiger. "What, exactly, makes you think I would obey you, mancub?" Shere Khan asked.

"Because I-I'm not a-afraid of you," Mowgli attempted to defend himself but his shaky voice betrayed him. Shere Khan glanced from Mowgli to Ranjan, and then locked his eyes with Mowgli's.

"I suggest you come with me, mancub," the tiger stated, though he knew Mowgli would refuse.  _Which is exactly what I want._ A smile that sent chills down Mowgli's spine found itself on the face of Shere Khan. Mowgli raised an eyebrow, and shook his head fervently.

"No way, no how," he muttered before taking another step backwards.  _If I could only get closer to the path, I could run back into the village, but..._ His eyes landed on Ranjan. The toddler was about a foot in front of him off to the side, staring in shock at the tiger. Mowgli groaned inwardly.  _What do I do?!_

"No?" Shere Khan's voice snapped Mowgli out of his thoughts. Mowgli looked at the tiger, surprised. Did Shere Khan expect him to say 'yes' or something?

"No," Mowgli repeated, uncertainly.  _I don't understand... What's he up to besides no good?_ Shere Khan smiled, and allowed silence to engulf them for a few moments. Mowgli looked around, uncertain, trying to find an escape route, but not taking his eyes off the predator. Ranjan continued to stare at the tiger, confused and scared.

_Why isn't Mowgli doing anything? I thought he could take on a tiger,_ Ranjan remembered the story Mowgli used to tell him, Shanti, and their parents. How he used to live in the jungle, and how he had managed to defeat a vicious tiger. But now... Mowgli just looked scared. And that was scaring Ranjan.

"That's too bad," Shere Khan's smile vanished from his face, "Well, they always said blackmail was better than force. I'm sure I can get you to change your mind-come and see me when you do." Mowgli looked at Shere Khan, completely confused.

"Wha..." Mowgli was suddenly cut off when Shere Khan leapt over to where he was, picked up Ranjan, and darted off into the jungle. Mowgli stared wide eyed at the spot Ranjan had just been standing. It had all happened so fast, he wasn't sure if he'd seen everything correctly or not. After a few seconds Mowgli's mouth dropped open. Ranjan was really gone!

_That stupid tiger!_ Mowgli stamped his foot, as tears began spring to his eyes.  _He's gone. Why didn't I do anything?_  Mowgli looked around, tempted to fall to the ground, curl into the fetal position, and cry his heart out.  _NO! I can't think like that! I have to find Ranjan_. A determined look came across his face, and he curled his fists tightly.  _I have to!_ He spun on his heels and began running in the direction Shere Khan had taken off in.

**OoOoO**

"Hello? Boys?" Shanti poked her head through some bushes where the river was. Mowgli and Ranjan had been with her when she had gotten water; she'd gone back without them, finished her water chore, and still no sight of the boys. She figured maybe they had decided to go swimming in the river, but, obviously, that wasn't the case.

"Um, this isn't funny! Answer me!" Shanti felt frustration began to swell up in her. Where were those boys? She let out a sudden gasp at the sight of muddy footprints on the bank of the river, and...  _pawprints?! S_ he stared horrified at the prints on the other side of the small river. It looked like the set of pawprints went into the jungle as well as one pair of human prints- most definitely Mowgli's, but where were Ranjan's? She felt dread began to build up within her as she crossed the river and followed the footprints and pawprints into the jungle.

**OoOoO**

Mowgli sighed and sat down, pulling at his hair. He looked up at the setting sun.  _Hard to believe I used to_ _ **live**_ _here, and I'm_ _ **lost**_.He looked around, hoping that something would trigger his memory. However, the trees, fruit, bushes, and insects didn't help out at all. He let out another sigh, and became silent, listening for the sounds around him. Maybe...maybe.

His ears perked at the sudden sound of a vaguely familiar voice. That voice. He smiled widely. / _That voice! It's.._ He jumped up from his rock, and swiftly ran towards where the voice was coming from. He ran past a few trees, and stumbled into a little section of the jungle where a very special friend was dancing.

"Baloo!" Mowgli cried, thrilled at the sight of his "papa-bear." Baloo spun around, and his jaw dropped at the unexpected appearance of Mowgli.

"H-how," Baloo shook his head, "Wha- what.." Baloo stuttered before grinning broadly. "It doesn't matter! It's great to see you again, baby-bear!" Mowgli rushed up and hugged the pleasantly surprised bear, then pulled away, looking rather anxious.

"Baloo- I was, and then, Ranjan, and water, it happened so fast, and Shere Khan," Mowgli tried to explain hurriedly and in fragments, while making frantic hand motions. Baloo frowned at Mowgli and held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down there, baby-bear. You're talking to fast. Something about water and Shere Khan?" Baloo waited expectantly for Mowgli to expand.

"Yes," Mowgli nodded his head, "I was getting water with Shanti."

"She's..?" Baloo cut in.

"A girl from the village, and Ranjan-he's like a little brother. We were getting water, and Shanti left, and Ranjan and I were playing and Shere Khan..."

"Shere Khan?" Baloo looked rather surprised, and waited for Mowgli to continue.

"Yes, Shere Khan. He came out of some nearby grass and told me to come with him," Mowgli stopped to catch his breath.

"He  _what?!_ " Baloo looked even more confused. Shere Khan sounded kind of...out of character. Why hadn't he just grabbed Mowgli and ran off? "And you told him 'No, get lost,' I assume, right?"

"Something like that. Anyway, since I said no, he  **took** Ranjan and ran into here somewhere," Mowgli spread his arms out, indicating that Shere Khan ran into the jungle.

"He took you're little brother? How old is he?" Baloo asked, concerned.

"About two-he's just a baby!" Mowgli felt hopeless panic begin to rise in him.

"Well, we can't have  **that,**  now can we?" Baloo asked with a frown, "Come on baby-bear, let's go find your brother." He bent down slightly and Mowgli jumped onto his back. "Which way did they go?" Mowgli pointed in the direction, and Baloo went stalking in that direction, determined to help his "baby-bear" retrieve his baby brother.

**OoOoO**

Ranjan stared with wet eyes at the vicious tiger that circled him, allowing him no escape.

"Good," Shere Khan whispered to the young toddler. "Do not let me hear you scream, or wail again, child," He popped his claws and allowed Ranjan a rather close up look at them, "Or else." Ranjan swallowed and nodded. Shere Khan nodded his head and made his claws vanish from sight.

"I'm glad you understand," the tiger stated, "because it is not  **you**  I wish to hurt, you're only bait," a slow, sinister smile crept across his lips, "only bait."

**OoOoO**

* * *

**Chapter 3: New Friends**

"Um, where are you?" Shanti whispered to herself as she carefully stepped over a large tree root sticking up out of the ground. She sighed as she got what she had expected: no answer. Shanti looked back down at the floor, and shook her head exasperated. The tracks she had been following had seemingly disappeared. She wasn't too sure when, but, at some point or another, they had vanished. She remembered looking up for a few moments, and when she looked back at the ground, the tracks were no longer there.

_Pretty sure I took a wrong turn_ _ **somewhere**_ _,_ she thought as she pushed some tall grass out of her way.  _And, now, I have_ _ **no**_ _idea where I am!_ She sighed, as she spun around in a circle, trying to navigate her way around the jungle and not having much luck.

**OoOoO**

"Uh, this is horrible!" Baloo exclaimed as Mowgli jumped off his back and inspected the nearby area. "Ol' Stripes seems to have just vanished!" Baloo made hand motions to go along with his frustration.

"He has to be around here somewhere!" Mowgli exclaimed, peeking under some bushes, and moving large leaves. Baloo stared at him for a moment, feeling an amused smile creep across his features.

"Heya, baby-bear, I really doubt Shere Khan would be hiding from us under some bushes." Mowgli looked up at Baloo confused. The bear continued to use hand motions as he explained his way of thinking to Mowgli, "Y'see, I think the tiger  _wants_  us to find him- just not yet. And until he feels wants us to find him, we won't." Mowgli stared at him confused.

"So," Mowgli started slowly, "He wants us to find us, but he doesn't?" Mowgli looked even more confused, and the bear smiled down at the boy.

"He wants us to find him when he's ready, and he's not ready to be found yet. Does that make more sense, baby-bear?" Baloo asked. Mowgli thought about it for a moment or two before nodding his head.

"Yeah, I get it, but what do we do until he 'wants' to be found?" Mowgli asked, panic beginning to show in his eyes. "He still has Ranjan." That last statement seemed to tint the air with fearful dread.

**OoOoO**

"Ugh!" Shanti cried as her foot landed in some mud. The sun was starting to set, creating a purplish hue throughout the jungle. Unfortunately, some rain clouds hung over a good portion of the jungle, and it had just started to sprinkle. She glanced up at the sky and frowned.

"Why?" She groaned to herself. "Wait a second," Shanti glanced around her surroundings. Everything looked familiar- _too_  familiar. "I've been here before!" she exclaimed, frustrated. She grabbed her head and plopped down on a nearby rock. "I'm lost!"

"A bit young to be wandering around the forest by yourself, no?" A voice caused her head to pop up. Her eyes went wide at what was before her, and she quickly jumped up off the rock and jumped behind it.

"You don't need to hide," the amused voice told her. She peeked at the animal from over the rock, but didn't have the nerve to come out of her hiding place from behind it. Sitting a couple feet in front of the rock was a black panther that stared at the girl with inquiring eyes.

"I assume you're lost." The panther stated when the girl remained silent. "Maybe I can help you. My name is Bagheera. What's yours?" Bagheera asked, cautiously, aware of how fearful the young girl was.

"Shanti," she whispered, crawling out from behind the rock slowly. Bagheera offered a friendly smile. Shanti stared for a few moments, unsure of what to do, before returning the smile.

"Have you seen my friends around?" she bravely asked. Bagheera raised an eyebrow and waited for her to explain. "Um, my friend, Mowgli."

"Mowgli?" Bagheera interrupted, "the mancub?"

"Ummm, I guess.. he used to live here," Shanti said, not really sure what her new friend was talking about. "Him and Ranjan, a little boy," She bent down and used her hand to indicate Ranjan's height, "are around here somewhere, but I'm lost and can't find them." Bagheera nodded.

"This doesn't sound good. Come on," he motioned with his head in the direction they were to take, "let's try to find Mowgli and...Ranjan, right?" Shanti nodded and followed Bagheera.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Searching**

"So, do you think we're  _ever_  gonna find Ranjan and Shere Khan?" Mowgli asked a sleepy bear the next morning. "It's been awhile..." Mowgli let his voice trial off, but it was clear just how worried he was.

"Yes, baby-bear, we'll find your brother and Stripes – no worries there. It's just a matter of when," Baloo assured the young boy. Mowgli groaned and the frustration was clear on his face.

"I don't like this," he mumbled to the ground before looking back up at Baloo, "What if something happens?"

"It's never easy playing the waiting game, kiddo, but," Baloo stumbled a bit and looked around, "well, I dunno, we'll find your brother and Khannie soon enough." Mowgli nodded and they went off to explore another sector of the jungle. Their search proved fruitless as evening rolled around and there was no sign of the tiger or the kidnapped toddler.

**OoOoO**

"Sooo, you knew Mowgli?" Shanti asked the panther she was trailing.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Bagheera confirmed with a nod of his head, "Feisty little fellow. Energetic to say the least."

"I'll say – he hardly ever listens and he's  _always_ playing games," Shanti commented remembering the jar of water that had been dumped on her head the day before. Bagheera smiled to himself, amused. Silence engulfed them as Shanti tried to find a way to make conversation with the quiet panther.

"Ummmm," she began, then stopped.

"Yes?" Bagheera asked not turning around, but pressing onward determined to find Mowgli and Ranjan. Not to mention Baloo.  _Who seems to have mysteriously disappeared._ Bagheera thought to himself.  _I'm sure where we find Mowgli, we'll find Baloo_.

"D'ya like living in the jungle?" Shanti asked, uncertainly, aware of what a funny question she was asking. At this Bagheera stopped and turned around to face her.

"A rather odd question," he confirmed her thoughts with a smile, laughter clear in his eyes, "well, yes, I suppose – it's not like I can really go and live in a village – so I guess I really don't have much of a choice."

"Um, yes, I guess," Shanti agreed, not too entirely sure what exactly she was agreeing with. Bagheera nodded his head, turned around, and continued on through the jungle. They trekked in silence for a good while before Shanti finally felt the need to say something.

"It doesn't look like we'll ever find Mowgli or Ranjan!" Shanti cried as the moon peered over the jungle.

"'Doesn't look like' doesn't mean we  _won't_ find them," Bagheera informed the frustrated girl.

"Huh?" Shanti tore her gaze from the moon and looked at Bagheera who was sniffing at some bushes. "Did you find something?" she asked curiously, as Bagheera continued to sniff the bushes, ignoring her. She looked at him, at the bushes, and decided to approach to see why the panther seemed so interested in rather droll looking bushes.

"Um... Bag...heera," she started, stumbling over Bagheera's name, "is there something in those bushes?" she stepped closer, suddenly cautious. After all, Bagheera seem awfully interested in those bushes. She inspected them her spot, but didn't see anything special.

"Yes, it appears Shere Khan was here not too long ago," he told Shanti. Shanti stared at him, confused.

"Shere Khan?" she asked. "That sounds like the name of some tiger Mowgli talks about in some story he tells us about the jungle," Shanti thought aloud. Bagheera nodded.

"That's because Shere Khan  _is_  the name of a tiger. We have to be careful." Bagheera stopped and cocked his head, in deep thought. "Didn't you say you saw pawprints leading into the jungle?" he asked the girl. She nodded in response. "But only one set of human tracks leading into the jungle- tracks that looked too big to be...Ranjan is it?"

"Yeah, they were Mowgli's footprints- Ranjan's too small. His would've been smaller," Shanti confirmed, then stopped and thought about what exactly her panther friend was hinting at. "Are you saying that the pawprints might've been..."

"Shere Khan's." Bagheera answered the unasked question and nodded, "Yes, and it's also possible that he might've taken Ranjan. That would most likely be the reason Mowgli followed him into the jungle."

"Then...a..." Shanti gulped and let out a shudder, "a  _tiger_ has...Ranjan?"

"Yes," Bagheera looked rather grim, "So it looks like we ought to follow the tiger," Bagheera motioned to the bushes with his paws, "and it looks like he's not too far away."

* * *

**Chapter 5: Ssssssssssnakesssss and Monkeys!**

"So, so, you mean a  _tiger_  has Ranjan?!" Shanti kept up with Bagheera's quick pace, looking rather anxious.

_Or_ _ **had**_ _Ranjan,_  Bagheera thought grimly before nodding in response to Shanti's question. "Yes, it would seem so."

"What if, what if..." Shanti's voice trailed off, as she contemplated all the terrible things that could have possibly befallen little Ranjan and slowed her pace.

"Come, now, we can't slow down!" Bagheera insisted, not slowing a bit.

"But..." Shanti started, but then pursed her lips, and decided that it'd be best to obey the panther. She quickened her pace to match that of her feline friend, who was actually going slower than he wished to. However, he was well aware of the fact that Shanti could only go so fast and he couldn't just leave her alone lost in the jungle.

**OoOoO**

"Baloo, this is hopeless!" Mowgli cried, plopping onto the ground, and clutching his hair, while trying to fight back tears of defeat.

"It's not hopeless yet," Baloo argued, trying to comfort the young boy. "We'll find him," he said, though doubt was obvious in his dark eyes. "We just need to get some help. If there's more than two of us looking, then we're bound to find them." Baloo paused and thought about that for a minute. "Why didn't I think of this before?" He asked, looking confused at how slow it had taken him to realize this valuable piece of information.

Mowgli looked up from his spot on the ground and at Baloo, also confused. "That does make sense," he said slowly, staring at the bear. "Well, who are we going to ask to help us?"

"Um," Baloo bit his lip, "well, I know Baggy will, and, uh, Louie might, then there's those elephants. They'll probably help." Mowgli nodded, and pushed himself up off the ground, relieved that they actually had some sort of plan now, instead of wandering aimlessly around the jungle.

"Well, then, let's get going," Mowgli said, grabbing the bear's paw. Baloo nodded and they started on their way towards Louie's.

**OoOoO**

"So, are we anywhere near where the Shere, um, the tiger is?" Shanti asked Bagheera curiously. They had stopped and his eyes were darting in every direction.

"I don't know," Bagheera admitted, and Shanti gave him a rather puzzled look.

"You don't know?" she repeated what he had stated, confused.

"His scent seems to have suddenly...vanished."

"Oh," Shanti glanced around, "that's not good is it?" Bagheera shook his head.

"Ssssssssooo you're looking for Sssssssshere Khan, are you?" A voice asked the two from above. Both Bagheera and Shanti jerked their heads upwards quickly, looking for the owner of that voice, though Bagheera already had a pretty good idea of who owned such a voice.

"Don't look in it's eyes," Bagheera quickly whispered to Shanti, before turning his attention to the slithery creature. "What do you want?" he asked the annoying snake that was hanging from a branch, so it could be eye level with him and Shanti.

"Who'ssssss that ssssssweet looking child you have there, Bagheera?" Kaa asked in a voice that sent chills down Shanti's spine.

"Leave the girl alone," Bagheera snapped, really not wanting to play around with the double-crossing snake. "Do you know where we can locate Shere Khan?" he inquired, wanting to get away from Kaa as quickly as possibly, but not wanting to leave without any information. The snake always seemed to be full of information about the jungle. Bagheera secretly wondered how Kaa seemed to know where everyone was or what they were doing. It quite creeped him out to say the least.

"Yessssssss, assss a matter of fact, I sssssaw him passsssss through thisssss way earlier today." Kaa informed them in his slithery tone. Shanti's eyes went wide and she glanced at Bagheera, before looking back down at the ground. Bagheera had seemed awfully serious when he'd told her not to look at the snake in the eyes, and she intended to obey him. Bagheera looked at Kaa intently, avoiding direct eye contact, and uncertain whether or not to believe him.

"Did you?" Bagheera simply asked, and waited for the snake to expand further.

"Yessssss, I wouldn't lie, now would I? I'm asssshamed that you'd even think I'd do ssssssuch a horrible thing! Yessss, Ssssshere Khan came through here, and went right, towardssssss hisssss 'home.' He alssso had, well, never mind, I doubt it'd interesssst you." He stopped talking, though he clearly knew that the fact Shere Khan had been toting a baby human around would interest Bagheera and that scrumptious looking girl he was traveling with. Shere Khan's "home" was part of some old ruins the tiger was often sighted at. Whether he lived there or not, no one was completely certain, but it was definitely the violent tiger's territory.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am interested in what Shere Khan had with him," Bagheera informed him in a rather cold voice that signified that he wasn't too happy about how Kaa had purposely left off there.

"Yessssss, I thought ssssssooo! He wassss carrying a baby human with him. I'm not sssssure assss to why, but it wassss most definitely a human."

"Thank you for your time," Bagheera stated, neutrally, before turning to Shanti, who was still studying the ground. "Well, at least we know for certain that Ranjan is with Shere Khan. Come now, let's head towards the ruins."

"You can't be sssssserioussss!" Kaa's sudden outburst startled both Bagheera and Shanti. They looked up at him, but Shanti quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to anger the panther, should something happen if she looked too long at the snake.

"Yes, we are rather serious," Bagheera told him before turning his attention back to Shanti. "Let's go now, before he decides to tag along," Bagheera stated nodding towards the bewildered Kaa. Shanti nodded, and followed Bagheera as they started to make their way towards the ruins.

The bewildered snake continued to stare after the girl and the panther. They really were going to the ruins! Did they hope to find Shere Khan?  _It mussst be that baby Ssssshere Khan had,_ he realized as he continued staring after the duo. That girl had looked like a very tasty treat indeed. He sighed. If only that panther hadn't been around, he could've hypnotized her and his growling tummy would've been satisfied. He knew it would've been foolish to do something like that in front of Bagheera, though, especially since he was friends with the girl. The snake wondered about Bagheera. Weren't panthers carnivores, too? That panther just didn't seem normal. He couldn't even figure out where Bagheera lived or spent most of his time! That panther quite creeped him out to say the least!

**OoOoO**

"We're almost at Louie's! I remember this place! It should be just around the bend!" Mowgli cried excitedly as they drew nearer and nearer to Louie's. Baloo smiled at the kid's excited cries.

"Yeah, yeah, baby-bear, we're almost there," Baloo said, then laughed, "hey, I rhymed!" Mowgli glanced up at the bigger bear and giggled. Suddenly his happy demeanor vanished as he remembered why they were going to Louie's.

"He  _will_  help us, right?" Mowgli asked, worried. He looked up at Baloo anxious.

"Help ya with what?" A voice suddenly caused the two to twirl around and face Louie, whose head was sticking out of a nearby bush. When he spotted Mowgli he smiled. "Long time, no see, cuz!"

"I'll say!" Mowgli agreed, then frowned. "Why are you hiding in bushes?" he asked bluntly, not finding a polite way to phrase it.

"Who says I'm hiding? You're the two that are walking right by my little club."

"We were just going there," Baloo pointed in an opposite direction, confused. Louie grinned at him.

"We decided to move the club over here!" Louie waved his hand behind him, "Come on and join the fun!"

"You bet!" Baloo exclaimed, jumping over the bushes, where music, lights, and dancers awaited. He quickly joined in the fun.

"But Baloo," Mowgli tried to remind his friend why they had been coming here in the first place, but it was rather obvious the bear was more interested in dancing. Mowgli also seemed to have some problems of his own.

"Come on, cuz," Louie grabbed Mowgli's hand, and jerked him over the bushes. He then set the boy down hard in a chair, and smiled.

"How'd you like some of Louie's good ol' cooking?"

"I'd really like that, but we've..."

"Nonsense, whatever it is, it can wait!"

"But we really..."

"No buts!" Louie exclaimed as he forcefully stuck a spoonful of food down Mowgli's mouth.

**OoOoO**

"Everything's almost in place," a voice whispered into the sunset, "then I'll have my sweet revenge." A pair of young, wide eyes stared at the striped creature, frightened.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Let's Stay Focused!**

Mowgli stomped out of Louie's club, anger clear in his dark eyes. Louie scrambled behind him, having trouble keeping up with the boy.

"Hey, Cuz," Louie panted, matching his pace with Mowgli's, "don'tcha think you ougtha wait for Baloo?" Mowgli frowned and grunted something. Louie frowned. "What?!" After a few seconds, Louie managed to get in front of Mowgli and stood firmly planted in the boy's way. Mowgli cam to a halt in front of him, looking rather annoyed.

"Move," Mowgli growled, ready to go around the monkey. Louie held up his hands.

"Whoa, cuz," Louie spoke quickly, fearing that Mowgli might bolt. "What's the rush?"

Mowgli glowered at him. "Shere Khan has my baby brother and Baloo's back there- there  _dancing_!" Angry tears sprang into his eyes. "We came to get help- not to have fun!" Louie scratched his head, shocked.

"Whoa, I didn't know..." This only caused Mowgli to get angrier.

"Yes, you did," Mowgli whispered fiercely, "you just didn't listen to me!" The monkey lowered his eyes and then looked up at Mowgli, remorseful.

"I know," he whispered, "and I'm sorry." His shoulders slumped, but he didn't move. Mowgli stood there glaring at Louie for a couple minutes before speaking.

"That's okay," he sighed, still hurt, "but to make it up to me, you can help me find Ranjan. He's about his tall," he motioned with his hands, "and he's with Shere Khan."

Louie looked a little uneasy at the mention of Shere Khan, but forced the uneasiness away. It was obvious the boy was determined to locate his brother, and Louie didn't want him to encounter Shere Khan alone.  _With luck, we won't locate him at all,_ Louie thought, but kept it to himself.

"Okay," Louie held out his hand and Mowgli shook it. Both grinned at each other before taking off into the jungle.

**OoOoO**

"Heya," Baloo tapped someone's shoulder, "have you seen a boy around here?" he asked. He got a negative response, and sighed.  _ **No**_ _one has seen that boy!_ He glanced around frantically. They hadn't even been there that long, and already Mowgli had taken off! What was that boy up to, anyway?!

Suddenly Baloo's eyes went wide, and he slapped his forehead.  _Of course,_ he thought, ashamed of himself.  _How could I forget?!_ They'd been searching for Mowgli's brother and had come here to get help. He shook his head at his cluelessness.  _Stay focused,_ he chided himself. Now, he had to find Mowgli's brother  _and_  Mowgli.

_Well, at least I have some idea about where he's at,_ Baloo thought, happy with that. After all, how hard could it be to locate a boy in the jungle? Or two boys for that matter? He hurriedly left the club and headed back into the thick of the jungle at full speed.

**OoOoO**

"So, are we getting near there...Bag...heera?" Shanti stumbled over the panther's name again. Why couldn't she say it right?! Bagheera smiled at her mispronunciation of his name, but she didn't see it.

"Yes," he replied, as he continued his brisk pace. He wasn't too sure what to do- he didn't want to bring the girl with him to the tiger, but he didn't want to leave her alone. There was a good chance that either way she was in the same amount of danger. Hopefully they'd meet up with Baloo and Mowgli soon.

He continued turning the thoughts over in his head, trying to determine the best possible thing to do when a sudden shriek from Shanti ripped him away from his thoughtful reverie. He turned around quickly and groaned.

Shanti bit her lips and tried to stop the tears, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't been paying attention to where she'd been going. Now, she really regretted that. She'd stepped on something, and it had given way underneath her weight. On her way down her foot had done some funny flip and now was in antagonizing pain.

Bagheera quickly made his way over to her. He had to give her credit. She was only whimpering. It'd have been terrible if she'd been screaming- then they might as well post a sign that said, "Shere Khan, here we come." Of course, with Mowgli and Baloo, maybe they just ought to do that and get it over with. He only hoped those two were handling things well.

Shanti clutched Bagheera's fur as he used his paws to pry her loose from the plants that her foot had gotten mercilessly tangled in. He ignored the pain that her hands were causing, knowing full well that she was in much more pain.

"It's okay," he soothed, "I'm going to get you loose." He continued picking at the stems and vines gently, not wanting to scratch her foot. She muttered something incoherent and clutched even harder. He swatted away a few more plants and sighed at the sight of her foot. A double take, though, caused him to groan. She definitely wouldn't be walking tonight.

"Here," he slipped his body under hers, and carried her to a nearby tree. "Wait while I go and find some thing to patch that up with." Shanti nodded and let her eyes droop shut.  _Well, it_ _ **is**_ _time to get some sleep,_ Bagheera thought, glancing up at the moon. It seemed like the days were going by way too quickly, and they had yet to locate Shere Khan. He ran around, gathering some stuff for Shanti's foot, but never letting her out of his sight.  _A hungry carnivore would just love to have some injured human, I'm sure,_ he thought, grimly.

After he got everything he needed, he patched Shanti's foot up, and then flopped down beside her. His eyes roamed their surroundings making sure nothing was lurking about that might possibly cause them harm during their slumber. After he was sure they were safe, he sighed, and glanced at Shanti. She was sound asleep, though she'd moan every once in awhile. The conflicting thoughts he'd had earlier that day popped into his mind. His answer was still the same, though. It seemed no matter what he did, she'd still be in the same amount of danger. He didn't even want to think about the small boy that was with Shere Khan right now. Poor boy must have been scared out of his wits.

_Let's just hope he's still around,_ Bagheera thought grimly. After all, how long could a vicious tiger hold onto "fresh meat" before devouring it? Bagheera pushed the thoughts out of his head and let his eyes slide shut, welcoming sleep.

**OoOoO**

"What's taking them so long?" a harsh voice whispered into the night, circling a young child. "I'm beginning to get impatient."

* * *

**Chapter 7: Reunited**

"Moooooowwwwwwwwgggggggllllllliiiiiiii!" Baloo's shouts pierced the jungle air. "Mowwwwwgggglllliiii!"

Kaa groaned and pried his eyes open. Couldn't a snake just sleep in peace for heaven's sake? He unwound his body and dropped from the limb so he was face to face with the annoying bear. "And just what do you think you are doing?" he inquired around a yawn.

Baloo jumped, surprised by the sudden appearance of the snake. However, he quickly recovered from the shock. "Kaa! I'm so glad to see you man! Hey, listen, have you seen-" Kaa cut him off before he could finish.

"Wait, wait, let me guess," he cut in, "have I seen Shere Khan and a baby human?"

"Well, uh, not ex..."

"Yes, I have, and I've already told this to Bagheera and that human that was following him around. And, wait- you wanted to know about Mowgli, didn't you?" Kaa stared at the bear. The screams that had woken him up earlier were just registering in his mind.

"Well, yeah, but you mean Baggy and some other human are also on Khannie's trail?" Baloo asked. Kaa nodded, wearily. "Have you seen Mowgli?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Oh. Okay. Hey, thanks, though," Baloo saluted him before continuing through the jungle. "Moooooowwwwwwwwwggggglllllliiiiii!" Kaa winced as Baloo picked up his shouting again.

"Is that really necessary?" he questioned following Baloo. Baloo frowned.

"Uh, yeah, Kaa- I have to find Mowgli," Baloo stated the obvious, annoyed.

"Right, but must you go around screaming at the top of your lungs? That kind of disturbs those of us who are sleeping."

"Why would you be sleeping?" Baloo asked. "The sun's up."

"Barely."

Baloo stopped suddenly. "Why are you following me?" he asked Kaa suspiciously. The snake smiled.

"Well," Kaa began, "when so many seem to be on the hunt for Shere Khan, I can't help but want to tag along and see what all the commotion is about."

"Well, then, just stay outta the way." Baloo told him gruffly.

"Yeah, yeah," Kaa agreed still slithering along.

"MOWGLI!" Baloo shouted. "Mooooooowwwwwwwgggggggllllliiiiii! MOWGLI! Mooooowwwwwwgggggggllllllliiiiiii! Mowwwww..."

"BALOO!"

"Huh?" Baloo whipped his head around. "Did you hear that, Kaa? That was Mowgli!"

"Yeah, I heard it," Kaa said, also looking around, "but I don't  _see_  him."

"Me either- MOWGLI!"

"Baloo! Baloo!" Mowgli appeared from around a grove of nearby trees. "Baloo! I knew you'd come!"

"Baby-bear!" Baloo cried, scooping the boy up in a big, bear hug.

"Hey, cuz," Louie followed Mowgli.

"Heya, Lou!" Baloo called out to his friend as he put Mowgli back on the ground. "Hey, baby-bear, listen, I'm sorry about earlier...I, uh, wasn't...I.."

"It's okay, papa-bear," Mowgli assured him as he wrapped his arms around him again.

"Hey, uh, Baloo, what's he doing with ya?" Louie jerked his thumb towards Kaa. Kaa frowned, indignant.

"Oh, he wanted to come along," Baloo told him indifferently. "Well, I guess we're all off to find Khannie!" Louie and Mowgli nodded vigorously, while Kaa just watched as though he were a spectator at some sports event. "Then off we go," Baloo cried out enthusiastically.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Waiting for Sundown**

"You have no idea where you're taking ussssssss, do you?" Kaa spoke to Louie and Baloo. The two in question stopped to glare at their slithery companion.

"Well, uh," Baloo scratched his head, "I guess, uhm, uh...no. No, I don't," he admitted.

Louie also scratched his head a bit then looked around searching for something but, apparently, not finding it. He answered the snake's question, "I thought we were going to Khan's place?"

Mowgli nodded. "Yeah! We're going to find Khan and get Ranjan!" He turned to the snake, annoyed. "REMEMBER? Or did you already forget?" Mowgli wasn't the least bit happy to have the snake accompanying them.

Kaa rolled his eyes. "Yesssssss, I 'REMEMBER,'" he glared at Mowgli, "BUT I don't think thessssssse two bafoonsss 'REMEMBER'  _how_  to get to Khan's place."

"That's not true is it papa-bear? Louie?" Mowgli asked, hopping from foot to foot while shooting hate-filled glares at Kaa. He didn't want  _anything_  out of the snake's mouth to be credible. If it was that would mean Baloo might allow the slithery creature to stick around. The sooner Mowgli could get the snake to upset Baloo, the better.

"Actually, cuz," Louie began, his cheeks tinted a light pink, "it is."

"What?!" Mowgli exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's true," Baloo admitted. "We don't know exactly  _how_  to get to Khan's place."

"Ssssssee?" Kaa smiled triumphantly. "I told you they had no clue whatsssssssssoever!"

"And I suppose you do, huh?" Louie demanded angrily.

"Actually, yesssssss, I do." Kaa told them, his triumphant smile only growing wider.

**OoOoO**

"Are you-are you okay, Bag...heera?" Shanti tripped over the panther's name once again. She was now riding on his back due to her ankle. When she had woken up earlier she had stood up only to collapse back onto the ground. She was pretty sure it had to be pretty uncomfortable for Baghheera. She wasn't exactly the lightest person in the world and she kept pinching his fur by accident. "Bag...?"

"I'm fine," Bagheera replied between clenched teeth. Why did humans have to be so heavy? He flinched when Shanti gripped his fur around his neck a little too hard for comfort.

"Maybe I should try walking again?" she offered, feeling guilty.

"No," Bagheera told her, "your ankle looks pretty bad and I doubt walking on it would help. I'm sure you still couldn't walk on it even if you tried again."

"Yeah," muttered Shanti still feeling guilty, though she was sure he was right. Her ankle did  _still_  hurt. A lot. She glanced at it, then turned her head away, not wanting to look at it any longer than necessary.

The duo continued in silence for some time. Shanti wasn't sure, but it looked almost like they were going around in circles. She had asked Bagheera about that, but he had told her that much of the jungle would probably look the same to the untrained eye. She sighed quietly feeling very out of place. And now she felt like some kind of burden. Bagheera might deny it, but his heavy breathing and panting told her otherwise.

_I know we have to be nearing Khan's place,_ Bagheera thought, sniffing at the air before continuing their journey.  _When'd it get so hot out here anyway?_ the thought popped into his head but he quickly pushed it aside.  _We should almost be there. Almost..almost..._

"Ugh!" Shanti cried out as Bagheera collapsed beneath her. She quickly hobbled off him, and began shaking him. "Bagheera?!" She shook him harder. "Bagheera!  _BAGHEERA!_ "

**OoOoO**

Mowgli followed behind Baloo and Louie as they followed Kaa. The boy's arms were crossed and his face was drawn into a frown.  _I can't believe we're letting that_ _ **snake**_ _lead us to Khan! What if he leads us to a trap or something?!_ He kicked at the dirt. He didn't like this setup at all, but Baloo and Louie seemed okay with it. And where were they, anyway? They'd been traveling for quite some time now and the scenery wasn't exactly getting prettier.

"Hey, Kaa," Louie called out, "we getting any closer?"

"Yeah," Baloo also called out, "we've been walking for a looooooooong time now!"

"We're almosssssssst there, I promisssssssse!" Kaa assured them, "we should get there around," he looked up at the sky, "sundown," he guessed.

"Sundown?!" Baloo threw up his hands frustrated. "That's just wonderful!"

"What's wrong, cuz?" Louie asked. "As long as we get there, right?"

"At sundown, he'll be better," Mowgli pointed out, also disheartened at this piece of news and a bit upset.

"Yeah, Lou," Baloo explained, "cats can see really good especially at night. Khannie will have a slight advantage over us."  _Slight?_  Baloo thought. Who was he kidding. Now Khan would just have a  _bigger_  advantage over them!

"Yeah, I wonder if that was on purpose..." Mowgli piped up. The other three gave him curious looks. "Well, how do we know we weren't  _set up_  to meet Shere Khan after dark?" Mowgli questioned sending Kaa a significant look.

Kaa rolled his eyes exasperated. "You've got to be kidding. I didn't even know that you buffoonssssss were looking for Shere Khan until yesssssssterday when Bagheera and ssssssome girl practically tackled me!" He defended himself. Baloo rolled his eyes.

"I doubt Bagheera would attack you- he only eats vegetables, remember?"

"Then again," Louie smiled at Kaa, "he might mistake you for a vegetable. I would!"

"Har, har, har," Kaa laughed mockingly. "Look who's talking."

Mowgli suddenly reached towards Kaa and yanked the snake towards him causing Kaa to cry out in pain. He glared at Mowgli. "What was  _that_  for?!" he demanded indignantly.

"Did you say some girl was with Bagheera?" Mowgli demanded. Kaa nodded impatiently.

"Yessssss, man-cub, that's what I sssssaid! Sssssome girl- ssssssaid ssshe wasss a friend of yourssssss from the village or sssssomething. Or I assssume sssso, anyway."

"Well, that'ssssssss jussssssst dandy," Louie mocked Kaa. He groaned. "Now we have  _three_  humans in the jungle?"

"Huh?" Baloo looked at Mowgli and Louie confused. "I thought you all knew that?"

"Baloo! You mean, you've known Shanti was here but didn't say anything?" Mowgli folded his arms over his chest getting more and more annoyed. First Shere Khan had kidnapped his brother, then he'd gotten lost in the jungle, Kaa was leading them to Shere Khan and he had serious doubts about that, and now, Baloo knew Shanti was in the jungle but hadn't said anything.

"Hey, chill, baby-bear!" Baloo held up his hands in surrender seeing Mowgli's furious face and defensive stance. "I just found out earlier when Kaa heard me hollerin' for ya. I didn't know you knew her or anything."

Kaa rolled his eyes. "Baloo, you need a crash courssssse in common sssssensssse." He nodded his head in a certain direction. "C'mon, we sssssshould be getting pretty closssse." He took off in the direction he had nodded in with the other three close in tow.

Mowgli glanced up at the sky. The sun was rapidly approaching the horizon. It wouldn't be too long before the sunset. He sighed.  _I hope Ranjan's all right. I hope Shanti is, too. I wonder what she's doing...?_

**Meanwhile....**

Shere Khan glared at the screaming baby.  _Honestly, how long can it possibly take for those jungle idiots to lead fresh meat to me?_ He looked up at the sky.  _I'll give them another few hours, otherwise I'll just settle for the meat I already have here._

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Encounter**

The dull ache in his head only seemed to worsen when his eyes fluttered open. His vision blurred and everything seemed to be spinning and unfamiliar. He was supposed to be doing something, but what? His mind groped blindly for the reason he had such a horrible ache in the first place. It hit him with such clarity he bolted upright, instantly regretting that maneuver as new pain shot throughout his body.

"Bagheera!" Shanti effortlessly pronounced his name for once, thrilled to see him up. She wiped at her eyes. "I was so worried!" She hugged him unintentionally adding to the already existing bodily pain.

"Yeah, sorry," Bagheera muttered distractedly. His mind was racing. What on earth had made him suddenly faint like that? How horribly embarrassing!  _Good thing Baloo wasn't around. I'd never hear the end of it. Heat must be getting to me or maybe I'm sick._ He shook it off and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. They had to get to Ranjan and Shere Khan.

Shanti stood before her panther friend grinning crazily. She was just so elated that he was up and no longer limp on the moist jungle ground. To say she had been frightened would be a gross understatement. She made sure most of her weight was on her unhurt foot and waited patiently for Bagheera to speak again; he looked rather contemplative right now and she didn't want to disrupt his train of thought.

Bagheera sniffed the air intensely for a few moments before turning towards Shanti and clearing his throat. He easily picked up Shere Khan's scent. Just when he was about to announce what direction they would be heading in he recalled the girl's hurt foot. He shuddered at the thought of carrying her again. His vision was still blurry and a bit dizzying. He took a step towards her before halting, trying to gather his bearings. "A bit dizzying" was a mild way of putting it, he thought frustrated. He could only hope that perhaps those herbs he had slathered onto her foot had miraculous healing powers. He looked at her, "How's your foot?"

Her eyebrows rose, but just barely, fearing he might insist on carrying her again. "It's okay," she said with as much confidence as she could, cringing that she had paused a moment before answering. He quirked his head and studied her intently.

"You can walk?" he challenged. Obvious doubt was clear in his voice.

She quickly nodded. "Yes, yes," she nodded even more fiercely, "watch!" She proceeded to  _hop_ on her good foot to a nearby tree. She leaned against it for support. "See?" She beamed, hoping she didn't sound too breathless to the panther. "I can just do this. It's fine."

Bagheera held in his laughter, the amusement shining through his eyes as he watched the human child hobble around on foot and hug a tree so she wouldn't topple to the ground. He allowed a small grin. He supposed that could work. He began walking towards her, groaning inwardly at the blurry edges every object in his vision suddenly had. He couldn't even walk in a straight line! He caught Shanti's eyes and offered her a small, but reassuring, smile. "Let's head this way," he directed her, heading in the direction of the tiger's scent. Shanti nodded and began hobbling alongside the swaying panther.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Mowgli moaned. It seemed they had been walking forever. Following that cursed snake, no less. Mowgli glared at the creature from his position between Louie and Baloo. He didn't trust that snake in the least and still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the  _snake_  was  _leading_  them. It irked him to the core.

Kaa rolled his eyes at Mowgli's question, annoyance clear in his reply, "You've  _already_  asked that question  _umpteen_ times! I  _told_ you we'd be there by  _sunset."_

"Yeah, baby-bear," Baloo looked down at the young boy. "You  _have_ asked a lot."

Louie nodded as well. "Yeah."

Mowgli resisted the urge to pull out his hair. "I just thought maybe we'd get there  _before_ sunset. You know the sun won't be setting for awhile. Surely, it's not  _that_ far." He shot a nasty look at Kaa who remained oblivious to it as he continued to slither ahead of them, out of their reach but within their vision, on various tree limbs.

"Well, it is," Kaa said with finality.

Louie offered Mowlgi a sympathetic look and Baloo shrugged when the boy shot him a questioning look. Finally, Mowgli sighed inwardly and shut his mouth, dejectedly deciding not to bring it up again unless someone else did.

* * *

Wails repeatedly reached his sensitive ears and his right eye twitched as he kept watch on that fitful baby human from a safe distance. Shere Khan had  _thought_ it was safe, anyway. Apparently not as his ears seemed to scream for release from the wretched sound that human insisted upon making. And so loudly, too. It was no small wonder that those moronic human loving jungle animals hadn't arrived with his meal yet. He very seriously considered eating the ridiculously small human instead, but decided against it. Patience was a virtue after all. However, this was just irritating and frustrating. He had been waiting over a  _day._ Probably two, possibly  _three._ It was nearing sunset now and he wasn't even sure how many days it had been briefly wondered if the small human could actually live so long with no food. The child had been graciously allowed to drink water from a small pond earlier but the wailing creature didn't seem too interested in it.

With a resigned sigh, he pushed himself off the ground and stalked over to the fussy baby. He stopped before Ranjan and the small child stopped crying for a moment, pausing to glance up at the vicious looking tiger before bursting into tears again. Shere Khan shook his head and, with his mouth, picked up the small human and purposefully strode into the jungle. This would mess his scheme up a little, but he was desperate and this baby's cries were infuriating him. Using the baby as bait, he had planned on a tradeoff with the mancub; his life for the small child's. He figured this way maybe he could just eat both.

He would just find the mancub and those human loving animals on their turf instead of waiting for them to find him on his. Ranjan stared at the jungle floor, swaying limply in the tiger's mouth, tears streaming down his cheeks. Shere Khan easily picked up on a desirable scent and sped off in that direction ignoring the wails from the small form hanging from his mouth.

* * *

Mowgli glanced up at the sky and almost asked if they were there or not, but Baloo beat him to the punch. "Kaa, are we about there? It's practically sunset."

Kaa glanced up at the sky, grinning. "Yes, we are! I  _told_  you so."

Mowgli started, shocked. "Really? We're really almost there?" Panic began rising up in him as he realized they had yet to come up with a solid plan. "Uh…what do….how do we….. why…what?" He stuttered, miserably failing in his attempt to keep calm.

Louie spun around and patted him on his head. "Don't worry, Cuz. Things will turn out fine," he attempted to reassure the boy, but his eyes betrayed his doubt. He glanced up at Baloo. "Right?"

Baloo stared down at them. "I have no idea."

If he were capable of doing so, Kaa would've slapped his forehead. "There's no plan of action? You buffoons haven't thought of one yet? What exactly were you three doing this whole time? It took us hours to get here!"

"You don't have to rub it in," Baloo replied gruffly. "How much time do we have left? We can come up with a plan."

Kaa shook his head. "None," he said bluntly as they rounded a corner. "We're here."

"What?" Mowgli shrieked, then clamped his hands over his mouth. The four were now staring at ruins of some type of civilization that had once thrived in the jungle before their time. Mowgli's eyes widened at the sight. He was pretty sure he hadn't seen these the first time he had lived in the jungle. Crumbling structures dotted a time-worn but beautiful spread of tiles. The archaic tiles took up a rather large space and stood out against the jungle landscape. There was moss and other plants that had sprouted amongst the remains growing wildly, overtaking the remnants of that particular civilization. It was quite a sight to behold.

Louie conveniently stayed behind Baloo, who stared in wonderment at the ruins with Mowgli. He had always been warned not to come here since this was Khan's territory so, until now, he had never seen this part of the jungle himself. Kaa quirked his eyebrows at the three's reactions. He didn't see anything amazing about the ruins, but, then, he had been here on numerous occasions; occasions he wished he had no recollection of.

Mowgli finally found his voice and whispered, "It's really quite."

"Yeah, baby-bear, it is," Baloo had to agree. The ruins were rather intimidating yet beautiful, but the silence was even more intimidating and not beautiful at all. Mowgli hopped from foot to foot, eyes searching the ruins hoping to sight some sign of life. Baloo did the same, hoping to glimpse some orange or black. Louie remained hidden and Kaa bit his lip, curiously searching out the area himself. He didn't say aloud what he was thinking, but he was pretty sure Shere Khan wasn't there. He could've sworn Shere Khan had been heading this way. It crossed his mind that he had told Bagheera to come here and wondered if the panther and that tasty looking human girl had been by here already. Bagheera would think that he had lied and be pretty upset. Kaa made a mental note not to cross the panther anytime soon.

Mowgli and Baloo cautiously began walking through the ruins staying close together as they looked for Ranjan and Shere Khan. Kaa watched them from his tree limb already aware that they wouldn't find anyone. Louie seemed torn between exploring with Baloo and Mowgli and staying at the edge of the ruins for a quick escape so he stayed about halfway between the two, glancing about furtively.

After some time had passed, Mowgli and Baloo trudged back over to where Kaa remained, Louie already ahead of them. Kaa shook his head. "No luck, huh?"

Mowgli cast an accusing glance at Kaa before looking down at the floor. "No."

Baloo shook his head sadly, sighing softly. "Afraid not."

"Sorry, Cuz," Louie tried to comfort the visibly upset boy. Mowgli clenched his fist and spoke clearly and slowly, anger and frustration tinting every word.

"I can't believe we did all that and….and…. _nothing!_ We did all that for nothing!" He cried exasperated, feelings of hopelessness beginning to knot up his stomach. He sunk to his knees and some unfortunate blades of grass found themselves in his clenched fists. "I'm never going to be able to face them in the village if I don't bring Ranjan back," he whispered, eyes welling up. Baloo and Louie exchanged glances and Kaa just stared down at the boy, amused.

Baloo clapped him on his shoulder. "He's bound to be around here  _somewhere,"_ he tried assuring Mowgli. "Let's not assume anything until we find Khannie, okay?"

Mowgli slowly lifted his head and his glistening eyes found Baloo's serious ones. He nodded curtly and quickly stood up with Baloo's help. "You're right. We can't give up yet. Ranjan and Shere Khan have to be here somewhere." He paused. "And Shanti and Bagheera, too."

Baloo nodded. "That's the spirit!" He grinned. "Yeah, Bags and your girlfriend should be around also."

Mowgli looked at him, surprised. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Baloo laughed and Louie grinned. Kaa rolled his eyes and followed them as they made their way back into the jungle, the moon peering over them.

* * *

Shanti hobbled after Bagheera, who was finally walking straight again. His vision had improved vastly in the past couple hours or so. He had offered to carry her, but she had adamantly refused, insisting she was to blame for his earlier fall. He had tried to assure her that it wasn't her fault, but she refused to accept a ride explaining she would be more comfortable hobbling along despite Bagheera's protests.

She halted when Bagheera suddenly stopped with no warning. She clung to the nearest tree nervously. It wasn't that they hadn't paused often in their travel, but this pause just seemed  _different._ Confusion was evident in Bagheera's manners as he sniffed the bushes, air, and trees, head whipping about, eyes frantically searching for something. She bit her lip, watching him.

"Bagheera, is everything okay?" she asked, dreading the reply. He stopped and looked at her.

"For some reason, Shere Khan's scent has become very strong here." He paused, cocking his head and repeated, "Very, very strong." He waited for the meaning to sink in. She gasped.

"He's near?" She frenziedly searched the area from her position by the tree. Cold chills ran down her spine when she got a reply.

"Nearer than you realize," a snide voice confirmed their suspicions.

Bagheera's head whipped around and Shanti's eyes doubled in size as the tiger they had been so fervently searching for stood before them, eyes twinkling with mischief. Shanti's stomach twisted when it hit her that Ranjan didn't seem to be with the tiger. She could only pray that meant Mowgli had gotten him already and that he wasn't resting in the tiger's gut. However, the whereabouts of Ranjan were quickly discovered.

"Shanti…?" It came out of as a whimper but Shanti's ears picked up on it right away, relief flooding her briefly before fear gripped her again. She looked behind the formidable tiger and spotted Ranjan right behind him, Shere Khan's tail wrapped around his little body, warning him not to run off.

"Ranjan!" She cried. "It'll be okay. Don't worry," she lamely attempted to reassure him, her voice faltering.

Shere Khan bared his teeth, amused by the girl. He laughed. "I was going to wait for the mancub, but it was taking them much too long to find my place," he explained to Shanti and Bagheera who both kept their eyes glued to him. Shere Khan looked at Shanti. "So, I figured I'd come out here and just find him."

He laughed again—a dry laugh full of humor only he would understand, "But I can settle for you." Without warning he jumped for Shanti, moonlight glinting off his outstretched claws. Shanti let out a small shriek and covered her face with her hands, expecting the worse. Bagheera leaped into the air and, using his full bodyweight, knocked Shere Khan out of the air. Both jungle cats tumbled to the ground, clawing and snarling at each other.

Shanti slowly brought her hands down from her face when nothing happened. She clamped her hands over her mouth when she saw the furious heap that was Bagheera and Shere Khan, moonlight gleaming off their claws and teeth.

"Shanti!" Ranjan cried softly, latching onto her legs. She knelt down and patted his head reassuringly.

"It's okay, Ranjan. Bagheera will help us." She hoisted him up and positioned him against her hip. He offered her a small, reluctant smile before burying his head in her shoulder.

Bagheera saw stars as one of Shere Khan's claws cut his skin deep; he only hoped he was hurting the troublesome tiger half as much. He swayed, trying to stay on his feet and gather his bearings. Shere Khan took advantage of this and began gracefully leaping towards Shanti and Ranjan. Shanti gasped, held Ranjan tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. Bagheera shook his head and jumped over to the two small humans, putting himself between them and Shere Khan.

The tiger glared at him, irritated. "Look, you plant eating freak cat,  _move out of my way!"_

"No," was the panther's cool reply. Through clenched teeth he spoke to Shanti. "Get out of here. Take him and just  _run._ "

"But," Shanti began, but the sharp look from her jungle friend halted her protest. She nodded and as Bagheera and Shere Khan's claws locked she took off, trying to ignore the pain that shot through her hurt foot and not look back to see how Bagheera was doing. Ranjan began crying loudly again. "It's okay, it's okay," she tried to tell him but to no avail.

"It won't do them any good," Shere Khan smiled smugly. "I saw her hurt foot and you don't look so good yourself," he spoke with a peremptory air.

Bagheera held back a cough. He had to admit Shere Khan was probably right, but, of course, he wouldn't let the tiger know that. He was hoping that Shanti would run into Mowgli and Baloo; if they had been heading towards the ruins Shere Khan was usually at then they should be nearby. He hoped, anyway. Shere Khan leaped past him and began to dash after the two humans. Bagheera ran after him and landed a claw on his back, eliciting a howl of pain from the tiger. Tables quickly turned though as Shere Khan easily shook Bagheera off. The panther went rolling to the floor and the tiger pinned him, grinning madly. A claw stuck across his stomach and another howl of pain filled the air, only this time from Bagheera.

The two continued to dance around each other, claws out, Shere Khan attempting to escape and chase down Shanti and Ranjan, but Bagheera managed to prevent each of his attempts much to the tiger's infernal frustration.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Finale**

 

* * *

"Did you hear  _that?"_ Mowgli exclaimed as a howl pierced the night.

 

Louie cocked his head surprised. "Yeah, sounded painful."

"Sounded like Shere Khan," Kaa commented.

Baloo nodded. "Yeah, I thought so, too."

Another howl echoed around them and this one caused all four's eyes to widen.

"Sounded like," Louie began and Baloo finished.

"Bagheera." He looked around worriedly. "Came from that way." Baloo pointed in the direction the two ear-splitting screams had come from. "Come on!" He waved for them to follow and they all took off running; Kaa followed from high above slithering along his tree limbs.

"Wasn't Shanti with him?" Mowgli cried, gasping for breath as they ran ahead at full speed.

Kaa nodded before realizing Mowgli couldn't see him. He called down to him, "There was a girl with him when I spoke with him the other day." He decided to omit how tasty she had looked so as not to anger the boy.

* * *

Shanti ran blindly through the jungle, trees racing by her peripheral vision. She had no idea where she was going and her foot begged for relief, but she couldn't stop. Not when Shere Khan was back there. She shivered, hoping Bagheera would be okay; she felt awful for leaving him, but there really wasn't much she could do. She figured she would just be in his way, anyway. Shanti had managed to quiet down Ranjan's cries hoping that would make them a bit more difficult to track, though she doubted it. Her ears pricked at the sound of voices. They were vague and she wasn't sure where they were coming from, but they were coming closer. She squeezed Ranjan tighter, fearful those voices could be bad news.

 

Mowgli halted when he glimpsed a familiar form. He spun in that direction and shouted, " _Shanti!"_ Baloo skidded to a stop and Louie collided into him as they all spun in that general direction. A wide eyed girl, clinging to a small child, stared at them from her spot, between trees, not too far away. Mowgli began to quickly make his way over there, Baloo and Louie on his trail.

"Mowgli?" she whispered, relief starting to overcome her, but her relief was overridden by her shock at the huge bear lumbering after her friend, who didn't seem to even notice.

"You're okay!" Mowgli exclaimed, thrilled, grinning wildly at her and Ranjan. "And so is he! I'm so relieved."

If she hadn't been so shocked, Shanti might have scolded him for getting them into this mess in the first place, but as it was she simply couldn't find her voice. She nodded mechanically, unable to force her body to do anything else.

Mowgli cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow, "You  _are_ okay, right?"

Baloo bit his lip, glancing around. "Wasn't, uh, Bags supposed to be with you?" Shanti looked at him, confused and he elaborated, "Bagheera?"

At this Shanti's eyes grew wider and she nodded fiercely, hair whipping around her face. "Yes, he is." She pointed in the direction she had come from, babbling, "He's still back there with that tiger—he wanted to  _eat_ me!"

Louie looked at her in surprised. "Bagheera? He doesn't eat meat."

"You moron!" Kaa caused them all to jump. "She meant Shere Khan." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am  _still_ here."

"It's you," Shanti looked up at him. "That snake," she looked over at Mowgli, "we're not supposed to look him in the eyes."

Mowgli nodded. Baloo shook his head. "Come on, we need to," he stopped, uncertain of what they needed exactly. He shook his head again after a moment's thought and continued, "We need to get you kids out of here and someone needs to help Baggy."

Louie backed away, shaking his head. "I'm not going anywhere near Shere Khan," he insisted. "And I'm not sure how to get to their village." He pointed at the three human children. Kaa cleared his throat.

"I know how to get there."

"You're not seriously going to let him lead us back, are you, papa-bear?" Mowgli demanded, frowning at the snake.

Baloo knelt down before him, and placed his big paws on the child's shoulders. "Look, baby-bear, I know you don't want to follow him, but Louie will go with you to make sure he doesn't pull anything, right, Cuz?" he gave Louie a pointed look.

The orangutan automatically forced himself to grin and nodded. "Sure thing!"

Baloo continued, "And I need to go help Bags. You three need to get home. It's been fun," he paused. "Well, it would've been more fun under different circumstances, but it was still great to see you again." He gave Mowgli a hug and pushed him forward. Mowgli glanced back at the large bear, uncertainly, blinking back tears. Baloo waved his hands in a forward motion. "Now, go on!"

Shanti stared at them tearfully. She looked up at Baloo, "Will you find a way to let us know everything's okay? And tell Bagheera I'm sorry?"

Baloo gave her a small smile, "Yeah, we'll find a way to let you know what happened and don't worry. I doubt anything was your fault. Now, shoo!" he waved them off.

"This way," Kaa instructed them, leading them towards the village. They all gave a backwards glance at Baloo, Shanti and Mowgli both waving good bye and Louie sending him a "Hope I see you again—alive" look.

They hadn't gotten too far before Shanti lost her balance and fell. Luckily Mowgli was nearby and easily caught her. He looked at her in surprise. "What?" he began, but trailed off, seeing her foot. "Why didn't you say something?" He demanded, taking Ranjan from her protective grip. "Can you walk?"

She sighed. "A little, but it hurts."

"Here," Louie spoke up. "Give me the baby, Cuz, and she can lean on you." Shanti shot the animal a doubtful look. Louie raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, I promise I won't hurt him."

"He won't hurt him. Don't worry," Mowgli assured her handing Ranjan, who had conveniently fallen asleep in Shanti's arms to Louie. He then threw one of Shanti's arms over his shoulder and helped her walk. It slowed down progress, but, Shanti had to admit, it was a little less painful for her foot. The group trudged through the jungle painfully aware of eerie silence that surrounded them.

* * *

More stars decorated Bagheera's vision, making it all but impossible to see in front of him. He wondered if Shanti and the baby had found Baloo and Mowgli yet. Fresh pain across his back warned him not to let his mind wander and he forced his eyes to focus on the black and orange blur that seemed really intent on slicing him to bits.

 

Shere Khan hissed as another claw found its way through his fur and punctured his skin. This was driving the tiger insane. Stupid bear being unable to lead that mancub into his trap, stupid panther for ruining his backup plan, stupid…. _Stupid everything!_  He growled, the pain making his thoughts less clear than what they usually were. He wasn't even sure how far the girl and boy could've gotten by now. What if they had met up with that troublesome bear and mancub? They might be practically at the village already. He doubted he would be able to so easily tempt them back into the jungle. He definitely wouldn't be able to catch them off guard again anytime soon. He growled at Bagheera, anger all to clear in his eyes. "Fine." He glared impetuously at the panther that was blocking his path to his feast. "If I can't have the girl, I'll just settle for  _you._ "

Bagheera narrowed his eyes, unsure whether he'd heard right or not. It was kind of hard to make anything out besides the pain trying to immobilize his body. He dodged another blow and attempted a counterattack but didn't succeed.

Shere Khan frowned, gnarling at his new prey. Bagheera jumped to attack, but Shere Khan countered it, hitting him hard in the stomach with as much force as he could muster. Bagheera gasped before unconsciousness pervaded his senses. His body banged into a nearby tree before ungracefully tumbling to the ground with a  _thump._

Baloo stopped in this tracks horrified. He had found the two fighting jungle cats just in time to see his friend collide into a tree. He snapped back to reality when Shere Khan approached the limp panther.

"Get away," he cried, breaking a nearby tree branch and hurling it at the tiger, being sure that it wouldn't hit his friend. Shere Khan caught sight of it just in time and barely managed to dodge it. Baloo snapped some more branches from the tree and clutched them, hoping they would provide him with some type of defense. Shere Khan glared at the newcomer

"You want to be part of my meal, too?" He snapped, eyeing Baloo with vicious eyes.

Baloo hid his fear quite well, taking a full step forward and frowning at the tiger, wielding two fat branches he had acquired, hoping he looked menacing. Shere Khan raised his eyebrows at the tree branch wielding bear. "What exactly is it that you intend to do with those?" his voice dripped with sarcasm, "Scare away crows? You're doing a lovely scarecrow impersonation."

Baloo harrumphed at him and rolled his eyes. "You know full well what I  _intend_ to do with these, Khannie," he spat, unexpectedly hurling one towards the tiger right when he growled the other's name. It wasn't too far of a throw as Baloo's earlier step had proven to fill quite a gap between them and landed nicely on the escaping tiger's hind end. He let out a ripping yelp and fell to the ground. Baloo's eyes widened, shocked. Surely, that wasn't it. His thought proved correct as Shere Khan pushed himself off the ground not even a full second later. He grinned lopsidedly at the bear, but his eyes were full of obvious malice. He began limping forward towards Baloo.

"Nice aim," he murmured, baring his teeth. The moonlight played nicely off his pearly whites making them sparkle in the dark. Dark red blotches stood out against the bright white making the tiger look incredibly intimidating. Baloo shuddered at the sight. He chucked the other branch at the tiger, reaching for another branch that he could hurl when need be.

Shere Khan easily dodged the second branch and let loose a low laugh. "This could prove to be fun," his amused voice frightened Baloo who, in turn, threw the other branch at the tiger. The saying "third time's the charm" must've been true for Baloo since the last branch landed squarely on Shere Khan's head. The branch hit hard and a crack was heard. The tiger screamed in pain before collapsing onto the soft jungle floor. Baloo was slack jawed. That had happened much quicker than he had ever imagined possible. Not that he was complaining; he didn't want to fight Shere Khan any longer than necessary. He began to make his ways towards the two unconscious large cats, but stopped. It suddenly occurred to him that Shere Khan might just be faking his inanimate state. He glanced at the tree branches he had strewn about in his haste to break some so he could throw them at Shere Khan. He cautiously knelt down and gently picked one up. He backed away as far as he could and then leaned forward using his branch to gingerly poke at the prone form of the malevolent tiger. Shere Khan's body was limp and his face showed no signs of him being aware that he was being unkindly jabbed with a tree branch. Satisfied, he dropped his stick and quickly walked over to Bagheera, wincing at the sight of his friend.

"Hey, can you hear me?" he whispered. The panther made no response and Baloo sighed softly. "No, huh?" He glanced over at Shere Khan. The tiger was still frolicking in oblivion. He carefully lifted Bagheera off the ground and began making his way towards Louie's place as quickly as he could manage. He reasoned that there had to be someone there that knew how to attend to his friend's wounds. He hadn't gotten very far when a loud growl caused him to halt in his tracks.

"Going somewhere?" the unmistakable hiss of Shere Khan's voice made Baloo's eye triple in size. He took off at full speed unsure what else to do. With Bagheera draped over his arms he couldn't very well hurl branches at the vile creature again. He doubted Shere Khan would allow him the time to gently set Bagheera back on the earth. He ran desperately hoping Shere Khan's injuries from earlier would make the tiger slower than what he usually was.

Unaware of how long he had been running or if Shere Khan was still on his trail Baloo skidded to a stop when he reached the edge of the ruins he had been at earlier. He looked over them anxious to find a place to hide. He spotted a crevice in a far off corner and dashed towards it. He gently tucked Bagheera away in the corner and moved some rock around so it would be hard to spot the wounded panther. He managed to accomplish this quickly, but sweat matted his fur and he had trouble catching his breath as he kept expecting Shere Khan to suddenly claw away at his back. He looked around wildly, convinced he would see a blur of orange and black racing towards him. When he didn't he began to intently search the ruins, keeping a close distance to Bagheera, hoping to find something that would help him when Shere Khan finally did catch up to him since Baloo knew it would be sooner or later. There was no way Shere Khan wouldn't be able to sniff them out unless his nose had been broken earlier, but that would be expecting too much.

He smiled a small smile when his eyes landed on something his mind deemed useful. He began to make his way over there when the dreaded blur of black and orange materialized before him blocking his way.

Shere Khan glanced over him and smiled maniacally. "What? Did you eat your buddy before I could?"

Baloo looked genuinely taken aback and decided that hit on his noggin must've really knocked loose some screws in Shere Khan's brain. Secretly, he was a bit relieved Shere Khan had followed him rather than trying to catch up with Mowgli and the others. It hadn't occurred to him earlier that Shere Khan might do that he had been so panicked. Now that he had had a little bit of time to collect his thoughts his mind was working out some harebrained plan. Naturally, it wouldn't work very well without its intended victim. He returned Shere Khan's maniacal smile. "Maybe."

It was Shere Khan's turn to be genuinely taken aback. "What?" He sputtered, shocked. "Seriously?" He was still having trouble gathering his thoughts having just escaped the realm of unconsciousness. It hadn't taken him too long to catch up with the bear. Why the bear had come to the ruins was beyond the tiger. Perhaps the bear had forgotten that he had practically lived here. Shere Khan wasn't quite sure and in his current state he was having trouble playing around with the idea. He shook his head and frowned at the bear before going on in a cruel voice, "Don't play with me. I can smell that pathetic wannabe herbivore nearby."

Baloo's eyes widened and he began to slowly make his way towards a rather large crevice. Shere Khan eyed him suspiciously. Baloo positioned himself in front of the empty crevice daring the tiger to try to get past.

"Move," Shere Khan demanded, extending his claws and holding them up so they glittered in the moonlight, trying to make the bear move by intimidation alone.

Baloo shook his head. "No way," he said with an air of finality. Shere Khan frowned.

"We'll see about that," he roared jumping at Baloo. Baloo immediately dove out of the roaring tiger's way. Shere Khan's shocked expression was priceless but, unfortunately, no one was able to behold it. He skidded into the empty crevice. Baloo banged on the run-down wall and bricks tumbled to the ground rapidly filling up the crevice, Shere Khan shouting threats while desperately clawing at them. Baloo gaped at where the crevice had been moments earlier, completely shocked. He really hadn't thought his absurd plan would work out so excellently. He beamed at the new pile of old bricks.

Baloo made his way back to where he had left Bagheera aware of the silence that had enshrouded the ruins. It was almost as if the remains of the previous civilization was aware of the deathtrap it had become. He shivered in the cold night air stopping before the crevice he had hidden Bagheera in. He pushed away the rocks he had hurriedly, but carefully, set there before. Bagheera lifted his head slightly when the moon illuminated Baloo's form. A huge grin graced the bear's lips.

"Heya, Baggy, I see your up and doing well," he spoke to the panther jovially. Bagheera stared at him confused.

"Baloo?" he whispered hoarsely.

Baloo cringed at the sound of his friend's voice. "Hey, no worries. We'll get you fixed right up."

Bagheera looked at him through tired eyes. "What about?" He began but Baloo cut him off.

"They're fine. We found the girl and the baby. They're with Louie and Kaa," he stopped at the incredulous look on the other's face. "Kaa was the only one who knew how to get back to the village," he explained apologetically.

"Shere Khan?"

Baloo grinned happily at him. "He's gone. Don't worry," he assured his friend, helping him to his feet. "Now, let's get you to someone who knows how to fix all that," he indicated the wounds Shere Khan had given him. Bagheera nodded and the two made their way towards Louie's.

Bagheera glanced up at Baloo and cracked a tiny smile. "Baloo, thanks," his voice was still hoarse but there was no mistaken the sincerity in it.

Baloo beamed at him, still grinning madly. "Anytime."

* * *

"Here we are!" Kaa proudly announced. Mowgli, Shanti, and Louie stared at the village before them. Mowgli simply couldn't believe it; Kaa had willingly led them to their village without once commented on how delightfully tasteful they looked. If he were being honest with himself, Kaa would have to admit that it astonished him as well.

 

"Finally!" Shanti cried happily. "We're home." She glanced up at the snake. "Thanks." She nudged Mowgli in the ribs. He sighed.

"Thanks," he reluctantly thanked the beaming snake, too.

"Thanks!" Ranjan echoed, laughing when Louie lifted him over his head. Louie had gotten along wonderfully with the tiny child when he had finally woken up earlier. At first Ranjan had been frightened finding himself no longer in Shanti's arms, but Louie proved to be great fun.

"You're welcome," Kaa responded delighted he had something to hold over their heads if they should meet again.

Louie threw Ranjan up in the air and easily caught him. He laughed along with the child. "Well, Cuz, this is it. Our fork in the road of life," he said dramatically, handing Ranjan over to Mowgli. Shanti disentangled herself so he would be able to hold Ranjan. Louie continued, "Parting is such sweet sorrow. You take the well traveled path and I'll take…"

"Just say goodbye already!" Kaa snapped, irritated.

Louie frowned up at him. "You don't have to hang around."

Kaa glared at him. For some reason, that hadn't occurred to him before. He shook his head. "Fine. Goodbye," with that he slithered off. The others all called out their goodbyes to him.

Finally, Louie turned to face the three humans. "It's been fun. I don't like any teary goodbyes so I'll just be off." He started back into the jungle but Mowgli's worried voice stopped him.

"Louie!" Mowgli paused. "You  _will_ let us know about Baloo and Bagheera, right?"

"Definitely, Cuz," Louie said firmly before disappearing into the night.

Shanti tugged at Mowgli. "Come on. I want to go home."

Mowgli couldn't agree more. He would've run to their hut but he stayed with Shanti who hobbled along. A light appeared in the hut and two adults burst out of it, hurrying towards the three children. A tearful reunion took place as stories were swapped, reassurances were made, and an ankle wrapped up.

* * *

Mowgli, Shanti, and Ranjan spent nearly two days worrying over their animal friends when they heard no word from the jungle creatures about Baloo or Bagheera. However, mid-afternoon on the second day Shanti went to fill a vase with water by the stream at the edge of the jungle and made a surprising discovery. She called out to Mowgli. He ran to her at the sound of his name with Ranjan toddling along behind him.

 

"Look at this," she pointed at her discovery. There were coconuts that formed a perfect square.

Mowgli knelt down beside it, a slow smile making its way across his face. A message was there in the ground, framed by the coconuts. It was near enough to the stream to be mud, but not near enough to be washed away. In the mud was four prints; a paw print from a bear, one from a panther, a hand print of an orangutan, and an outline of a snake's body. He laughed as all the worry he had evaporated at once. "They're fine," he told Shanti and Ranjan who stared at him with curious eyes. "They're okay."

Shanti looked at him, "Even Bagheera?"

Mowgli nodded. "Even Bagheera. Baloo—everyone. They're all okay."

Ranjan and Shanti both laughed along with Mowgli, also relieved. Mowgli splashed some water up at Shanti good naturedly. Shanti was too overjoyed to get mad and splashed him back creating a water war. Ranjan joined in and the three's laughter carried over through the jungle gracing the ears of a few certain animals making each one smile and laugh along with the children.

* * *

Wow, that was sappy.

 

I guess this isn't  _really_ the tiger's revenge, but over the past two years I have changed it around a bit. Originally it had a different ending, but I like this one better (although I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but I figured this was better than nothing. It'd probably take me another year to come up with an ending I truly liked). Hoped you liked it, though!

Thanks for reading!

 


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